Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 390 You have read a lot and know a lot [Thank you! Goodbye! I owe you words]

[I have seen feedback from book friends, and I would like to use reverse chronological order as little as possible]

Outside the Keyi Gate, the decisive battle between the armies of Great Zhou and Baigao took place on September 10th.

It was on September 13th that the Emperor of the Great Zhou received the news that General Cao was preparing to attack Lingzhou.

On the night of September 10th,

Xu Zaijing changed into the cloak of the Baigao cavalry, held a torch and led his subordinates, followed by Jue Zhongding, to rush towards Xingqing Prefecture in the south.

If the incidents of Zhuajue Zhongding turning around and escaping and Bai Gao being shot by arrows had not happened, Xu Zaijing would have only wanted to help block the enemy reinforcements to reduce the pressure on his father.

However, first Jue Zhongding was used to disrupt his own army, and then a commander ordered the shooting of Bai Gao soldiers in order to prevent the riot from spreading.

Later on, the Baigao army became even more chaotic!
Xu Zaijing took advantage of the situation and decided to go to Xingqing Prefecture.

The purpose of scouts is to scout out the enemy situation for the vanguard of the army, and Xu Zaijing's actions are to fulfill his duties conscientiously.

And Zhuai Jue Zhongding had previously deserted the battlefield, and later he personally ordered the Liannu tribe to shoot and kill General Renduo!

If anyone knew about these two things, he would have no chance of survival!

By the way, he had been seriously derelict in his duty in Bian Jing before.

To surrender at this time would be to seek death.

Of course, Xu Zaijing's biggest support for this action is Zhaotai Peak in Xingqing Prefecture!
Night,

On the way,

Amid the rumbling of horse hooves,
Zhuajue Zhongding glanced at the personal guards who were riding horses and holding torches in front of him, and said, "Wulang, why are we going to Xingqing Mansion at this time? Do you want to..."

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "What's the matter? Lord Zhajue, don't ask for now. Now that we are at the gate of Xingqing Prefecture, Lord Zhajue is sure that you can let us enter the city?"

Zhuai Juezhongding nodded and said, "There is a way! The commander of Zhenwu Gate in the northwest of Xingqing Prefecture is my brother. He will definitely let me into the city when he knows I'm back."

"Don't worry, Goro!"

Xu Zaijing looked at Zhajue Zhongding's face, which was flickering under the torchlight, and said, "Master Zhajue, I know you want to live! If you go with me to Xingqing Prefecture this time and can get into the city, not only will your life be saved, but you will also be indispensable in the future."

"I believe in Wu Lang's ability! I also want to thank Wu Lang for his support! In fact, before the troops were dispatched, the people in Xingqing Prefecture did not show such optimism about the future."

Xu Zaijing: “Oh?”

Zhuajue Zhongding was riding on the horse, and for some reason, he started to talk a lot.

He actually talked about the history of Xingqing Prefecture with Xu Zaijing.

To sum it up: when the Baigao Kingdom was founded, its capital was located east of the Yellow River, and was later renamed Lingzhou in Xiping Prefecture.

The original name was the same as the horse-raising area in the north of Da Zhou.

This was because Xiping Prefecture not only had no natural defenses and had to frequently face the armies of the Great Zhou, but it also hindered the westward expansion policy of the Baigao Kingdom - to move troops westward, they would have to cross the Yellow River.

Therefore, the second king of Baigao State moved the capital to Xingzhou west of the Yellow River, which is now Xingqing Prefecture.

Xingqingfu has an excellent location.
Surrounded by mountains and rivers,

On the east side is the natural barrier of the Yellow River.
To the west are the Helan Mountains.

To the north is the mountain and river fortress Keyi Gate, from which troops can be sent directly to the Houqu Plain.
To the south, there is the great city of Lingzhou and the natural barrier of the Yellow River.

When the current Emperor of the Great Zhou was young, he launched a massive expedition against the Baigao Kingdom. The Great Zhou army only fought all the way without ever seeing the Yellow River, and was defeated before the city of Lingzhou!
"Nowadays, it's different!"

Zhuai Jue Zhongding continued, "In the south, there is Hehuang, which has been under the control of the Great Zhou for nearly ten years. In the north, Houqu has been captured by the Marquis of Yongyi. In the east, Lingzhou is facing hundreds of thousands of troops from the Great Zhou."

"There was an earthquake in Yanzhou before! Today, the struggle and planning of Bai Gao and his ministers has already failed."

"Xingqing Prefecture may not have received the battle report yet! When they know the result of Keyi Gate, maybe they will thank me for bringing Wu Lang here."

Under the torch, Zhajue Zhongding's face was no longer flickering, and the more he spoke, the brighter his eyes became.

Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "It is the best thing that Master Zhajue can think clearly!"

At this moment
Behind the crowd came the sound of horse hooves at a very fast frequency.

Zhua Jue Zhongding looked back and said, "It may be an urgent military report from Keyimen."

The military situation is like fire.

When reporting urgent military intelligence, people will not cherish the horse's power and it is common to run the horse to death. Naturally, the speed is faster than that of Xu Zaijing and others.

Half an hour later,
Xu Zaijing must have slowed down his horse in front of a Baigao State post.

The group rushed into the post station, and Xu Zaijing and Zhua Jue Zhongding sat down at the table.

The postman hurriedly brought water to Xu Zaijing, Zhuajue Zhongding and other people and their horses.

After some inquiries, Xu Zaijing realized that it was already 9:00 p.m.

The postman bowed and touched his chest before leaving. After walking a few steps, he turned back with some curiosity to look at Zhajue Zhongding who was pouring water for Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing held the bowl with both hands, took a sip of the water that Zha Jue Zhongding poured into the bowl, then frowned, but didn't say much.

Zhuajue Zhongding lowered his head to pour himself some water, and whispered, "Wulang, the well water at this post station is sweet and delicious."

After pouring the water, Zhajue Zhongding picked up the bowl and looked at Xu Zaijing. Seeing Xu Zaijing's expression, Zhajue Zhongding said, "Hmm? Wulang is not used to drinking it?"

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded.

As he said that, he also took a sip, and then: "Puff!"

Zhajue Zhongding suddenly spat out the water, then he stood up and shouted loudly to the postman who wanted to leave.

After a long scolding and answer, Zhajue Zhongding dismissed the postman, sat down at the table again, and said, "The postman said that the well water has become turbid since this afternoon, and it has also become bubbling and bitter."

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing put the bowl of water he had just taken a sip of on the table.

The others didn't drink much either. After resting for less than half a quarter of an hour, they mounted their horses and galloped south.

Xingqing Prefecture,
Zhenwu Gate in the northwest corner,

Torches were lit on the walls,

Outside the moat, some distance from the city wall,
Xu Zaijing and his group held torches and stopped not far from the bridge, waiting.

Qingyun was really into the role and looked anxious.

Wang Yan and Pang Wanchun held the reins nervously and were breathing rapidly, but considering the long journey back, it was not very noticeable.

Maybe it was disturbed by the atmosphere of the war.

Xu Zaijing felt that the little black colt under him was a little anxious, so he quickly stroked the little black colt's neck.

Not far away, Zhua Jue Zhongding was anxiously shouting in Baigao dialect: "Urgent news from Keyi Gate! Open the city gate quickly!"

After Xu Zaijing calmed the little horse, he tilted his head and whispered, "Qingyun!"

Qingyun leaned forward and lowered his voice to reply, "Sir?"

"listen."

After a moment, Qingyun whispered, "Master, is there something going on in Xingqing City? Why are the dogs barking like crazy?"

Xu Zaijing's eyes were full of thought, and he shook his head gently and said, "You'll know when you go in!"

After some negotiations, a gap was soon opened at Zhenwu Gate for a horse to pass through.

The procedure is similar to that in Seokju.

In the Zhenwu Gate archway, the gate has been lowered.

After the gate behind the group was closed and locked, the gate was lifted up.

Xu Zaijing and others finally entered the heart of Baigao Kingdom: Xingqing Prefecture.

In the city,

The barking of the dogs became louder and louder.

After entering the city,
Zhuajue Zhongding did not leave immediately, but started talking to a general of the Baigao Kingdom who had come down from the city wall.

Wang Yan, who was standing by, translated a few words beside Xu Zaijing, all about the war situation in the north.

When the defending general learned that the nearly 100,000 Baigao troops who were mobilized were defeated by the Great Zhou and the Keyi Gate fortress was lost, a long sigh was heard by Xu Zaijing.

After Zhuajue Zhongding hugged the guard again, he came to Xu Zaijing.

Afterwards, the crowd, led by Zhua Jue Zhongding, circled westward outside the northern palace wall of Baigao Kingdom and headed south.

"Master Zhajue, do the dogs in Xingqing Mansion always bark like this at night?"

Zhuajue Zhongding was stunned: "Ah? No! Tonight is also strange. Wulang, where should we go first?" Xu Zaijing listened to the barking of dogs around and said, "Let's go to Master Zhuajue's house first!"

Seeing the frightened look in Zhajue Zhongding's eyes, Xu Zaijing said, "Don't worry! Enough people have died today! I'm not here to kill anyone."

After Zhajue Zhongding looked into Xu Zaijing's eyes, he nodded and led his men towards Zhajue's mansion.

along the way,

Xu Zaijing and his companions encountered patrolling soldiers of the Baigao Kingdom twice.

However, seeing that Xu Zaijing and the others were all wearing armor and riding tall horses, after asking a few questions and learning that they were from the Zhajue family, he hurriedly let them go.

In the city at night,
In Xu Zaijing's view, Xingqing Prefecture was not as prosperous as Bianjing, and there were very few wooden buildings over three stories high.

There was a tall building with lanterns hanging high in the south, but in this weather Xu Zaijing couldn't tell what it was used for.

Zhuajue Zhongding, who was standing by, followed Xu Zaijing's line of sight, looked at the lanterns lit in the distance and said, "Wulang, that's the thirteen-story brick pagoda in Chengtian Temple."

"This Chengtian Temple is named after the Liangzhou Huguo Temple and Ganzhou Wofo Temple. There are also Buddhist scriptures in the tower that His Majesty from Bianjing gave to the Li family."

Xu Zaijing nodded.

Walked for a while.

The group stopped outside a big gate with lanterns hanging on it.

At this hour,

The heavy door had long been closed.

Xu Zaijing and others tied the horses to the hitching post at the door.

Zhajue Zhongding's personal bodyguard stepped forward and knocked on the door. After some noise, Zhajue Zhongding led Xu Zaijing into the yard.

In the antechamber imitating the Da Zhou house,

Candles were lit.

In the candlelight, Xu Zaijing sat on a chair, Qingyun and Wang Yan stood behind him.

Xu Zaijing looked at the maid with surprise as she placed the teacup on the table beside him. He picked up the teacup, opened the lid and sniffed: good tea.

"To have tea ready at this hour, this family of Zhajue is really something."

Xu Zaijing thought about this and put down the teacup without taking a single sip.

Hearing the faint roars and the woman's crying, Xu Zaijing's ears moved.

Half an hour later,

An old man in luxurious clothes walked into the hall, followed by Zhua Jue Zhongding who was covering his face.

In candlelight,
Although the old man's face was full of fatigue, his eyes were very bright, with a hint of anger in them. He looked younger than Marquis Tuoxi.

After glancing up and down at Xu Zaijing who had stood up, he said, "You are quite courageous! Sit down."

The old man spoke the dialect of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which sounded even more standard and fluent than Zhajue Zhongding!
Seeing the slight surprise in Xu Zaijing's eyes, the old man sat down at the top.

The old man took the teacup from the maid and took a sip before saying, "Tell me, what are you doing in my house, the youngest son of the Marquis of Yongyi?"

Xu Zaijing sat back in his chair and said, "Nothing is more precious than human beings. I came here to ask Mr. Zhajue to help save Xingqing Prefecture from a war and the loss of lives."

"Humph!"

The old man sneered.

"That sounds nice! If you really let the soldiers from the Great Zhou Dynasty come in, a sharp blade will pierce my neck in the next moment!"

Xu Zaijing glanced at Zhajue Zhongding and said, "If you don't let them in, what happened in the mountains outside Keyi Gate today will spread to Xingqing Prefecture, and you might get into trouble tomorrow."

The old man closed his eyes in some pain.

Zhua Jue Zhongding lowered his head.

Xu Zaijing continued, "Old sir! The Art of War says that if you don't have the right time, the right place, and the right people, even if you win, you will suffer. But our Great Zhou has all the right time, the right place, and the right people."

"Da Zhou has the right time, right place, and right people?"

The old man opened his eyes and asked back.

Xu Zaijing said: "It has only been a year since the Liang Yi family rebelled, and their foundation is not yet stable! The weather is cool and not too hot, and the Northern Liao is busy dealing with the Jin Kingdom in the east, so they have no time to look west!"

"Old man, if this isn't the right time, then what is it?"

"General Cao, Lord Wang Shao, and my father, Marquis Yongyi, besieged Baigao from three sides! My father, Marquis Yongyi, had previously captured Houqu and went south to attack Keyimen. There was no need to cross the Yellow River to face the enemy!"

"This will be even more true in the next few days when the troops approach Xingzhou City!"

“Isn’t this a geographical advantage?”

"There is also the rebellion of the Baigaoliang Yi family, who wantonly slaughtered the royal family and generals of the Baigao Kingdom, and appointed people based on personal connections. Isn't this a good relationship for our Great Zhou?"

The old man stood up suddenly and said angrily: "If you hadn't hurt my Prince Baigao's good general! There wouldn't be so many disasters and turmoil in my Baigao country!!!"

Xu Zaijing shook his head and said, "The original Prince Bai Gao first provoked my Great Zhou Heroic Spirit! After being defeated by me, he suddenly shot an arrow from behind! If the arrow was not poisonous, he would not have tied himself up in knots and suffered the consequences of his own actions!"

"It's obviously him who is being humiliating! Why is the old man pointing at me and scolding me now?"

"You!!" the old man glared at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing exhaled and said, "Old man, listening to the noise outside, let me ask you a question, do you really think Xingqing Mansion can hold on?"

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing raised his arm and pointed outside the front hall.

The front hall was quiet, with only the barking of dogs outside coming in.

The old man looked at Xu Zaijing with some surprise.

Xu Zaijing was about to speak,
suddenly,

"what!!!"

There was a scream from the maid outside.

The old man's face darkened, and he hurriedly pulled Jue Zhongding outside and scolded him a few times in Baigao dialect.

After a while, Zhuai Jue Zhongding returned to the hall and said, "The maid said that there were groups of rats running out of the yard."

Hearing this,

Xu Zaijing looked at the old man, his eyes were ambiguous: "The old man didn't go to bed, is it not just because of Bai Gaosan's emergency?"

"By the way, when Master Zhajue and I came back, the water at the post station along the way turned bitter."

"You speak the language of the Great Zhou so well, you must have read a lot of the classics of the Great Zhou."

The old man closed his eyes, and his aura began to shrink.

Dogs were barking, rats were running around, and the water in the well was moving strangely. Of course the old man knew what this was. This was the precursor to the earthquake recorded in the book!
South of the Baigao Palace,

Vertical Ring Division

Prime Minister Zhao Taifeng was playing chess by candlelight in the house.

There were footsteps.
"Prime Minister, Keyi Gate battle report, we lost!"

A moment of silence,
The official who came to report the news raised his head.

Seeing Si Xiang waving his hand, he hurriedly left the room.

After a while,
Someone else came outside.
"Minister, old master Zhajue invites you to his house for a chat."

September 11th,
A cavalryman of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with one man riding two horses, appeared around Xingqing Prefecture.

September 12th,
The Great Zhou army marched south through Keyi Gate and entered the plains of Xingqing Prefecture.

That night,

Bai Gaoxing's palace was hit by an earthquake, the city walls were damaged, and the moat was cut off!

September 13th,
early in the morning,
Xu Zaijing stood in the city of Xingqing Prefecture, surrounded by a mess.

Only the tall temple tower in the distance still stands there.

In the morning, part of the Great Zhou army entered the city.

The news of Marquis Yongyi entering Xingqing Prefecture and the earthquake also spread to Lingzhou, Xiping Prefecture.

Lingzhou City opened its gates and surrendered to Zhou.

(End of this chapter)